It’s been a little while since my last newsletter, and I’m excited to reconnect with you! The reason for the pause? I’ve been busy launching and building the Language Talent Pool, a new platform dedicated to helping language professionals and companies connect more seamlessly. It’s been a thrilling journey full of new challenges, networking, and exciting opportunities.
Now that things are moving forward with the Language Talent Pool, I’m eager to bring you fresh insights and updates again. In this edition, I’ll share more about what’s been happening behind the scenes, along with some exciting new resources and opportunities I think you’ll love.
Thank you for your patience and continued support—it means the world to me!
In previous editions of the Language Career Hub, we have explored different aspects of project management in the language services industry, including project management roles in interpreting and audiovisual translation. In next two issues, we will focus on a role that takes project management to the next level—Client Project Management in language services. While traditional project management involves coordinating linguists and vendors and managing service delivery, a Client Project Manager plays a broader role, serving as theprimary point of contact for the client from the moment the contract is signed and beyond service delivery. This ensures that every stage of the client’s journey is well managed, providing a seamless and satisfying experience.
Responsibilities of a Client Project Manager
A Client Project Manager bridges sales, operations, and service delivery, ensuring that services align with the client’s needs.
Key responsibilities of a Project Client Manager:
Ownership of the Client Relationship: Once the sales team closes the deal, a Client Project Manager manages the relationship, building trust and ensuring continuous engagement.
Managing the Transition: When the client is switching from another provider, a Client Project Manager oversees the smooth transfer of data, processes, and responsibilities, ensuring continuity of service.
Needs Assessment and Tailored Solutions: They assess the client’s unique requirements and design a customized service plan aligned with their goals.
Leading Kick-Off Meetings: A Client Project Manager brings all stakeholders together in kick-off meetings to set expectations, establish timelines, assign troubleshoot issues, and prevent roles.
Service Delivery Roadmap and Strategy Development: They create roadmaps with clear milestones and performance indicators, coordinating closely with internal teams like IT, recruiting, and operations to ensure seamless service delivery.
Coordinating Across Teams for Flawless Execution: A Client Project Manager works across departments to align efforts, troubleshooting issues and preventing delays.
Providing Reports and Performance Metrics: Regular status updates and reports are provided to keep the client informed and ensure all goals are on track.
As you can see a Client Project Managerjob requires technical skills, project management knowledge, and strong client relationship management. It is a lot to juggle!
What Makes a Client Project Manager in Healthcare Interpreting Role Different?
Client Project Management can look different across various sectors, but when it comes to healthcare interpreting, the stakes are incredibly high. A Client Project Manager role in healthcare interpreting is distinct because it focuses on working directly with healthcare providers. From the moment a project starts, a Client Project Manager ensures that interpreting services are integrated into healthcare facilities, from technical implementation to ongoing support. This role requires both logistical planning and strong interpersonal skills.
To give you a real-world perspective on this role, I’d like to introduce Pooja Rastogi Pooja Rastogi, who worked as a Client Project Manager and has invaluable insights from her experience. Her role involved managing healthcare interpreting services and ensuring clients received the best support in implementing language solutions. Through my conversations with her, I learned a great deal about the responsibilities and challenges of this unique position. I’m excited to share her journey and insights with you today.
My Personal Story: How Office Chats Made Me Better at My Job
Kaiser Permanente race, event Pooja could not escape me!
I’ll admit it—I’m one of those coworkers who loves to walk around the office, chat with everyone, and share ideas. Some might find it annoying, but I have always seen it as my superpower. That’s how I met Pooja Rastogi. Her hybrid role had her in the office some days, and when she was, her desk was right next to mine. Naturally, I initiated a conversation, and before long, I learned about her work as a Client Project Manager.
The insights she shared helped me understand the complexities of the role, improve my approach to recruiting, and forecast my pipeline. I’m grateful to her for helping me see the value of this unique position. Let’s see what she had to say.
Interview with Pooja Rastogi: Insights into the Role
How Pooja Went from Healthcare Surveys to Running Language Services Like a Pro
Can you share a bit about your background and how you transitioned into the role of a project manager in healthcare interpreting?
Prior to my healthcare interpreting project management role, I was managing healthcare survey management projects that helped improve the quality of care at medical facilities. It was very satisfying to know how my contribution impacted healthcare facilities, enabling them to evaluate and improve their services. When I got my next opportunity in project management of language services at hospitals and clinics, I was very excited to learn and experience different facets of healthcare project management. The experience was enriching as I saw firsthand how well-designed language services improve patient care and even save lives.
Managing Chaos: Pooja’s Biggest Challenges in Healthcare Interpreting
What were your key responsibilities and challenges as a project manager at an interpreting agency?
As a Project Manager in language services, my key goal was to understand the interpretation service needs of hospitals and clinics and deploy those services on time. This included phone, video, and in-person interpreting services. My responsibilities involved planning, ensuring the equipment was delivered and deployed, and training hospital staff. One of the biggest challenges was ensuring interpreter availability, especially for rare languages, and managing technical disruptions in video interpreting services. Overcoming these challenges was rewarding, knowing that my work improved patient care.
Navigating Challenges: What Skills Make a Great Healthcare Interpreting Project Manager?
In your experience, what critical skills are necessary for a project manager working in healthcare interpreting?
A successful project manager needs to have both hard and soft skills. It’s essential to understand project management methodologies and tools while also focusing on communication and relationship-building. Managing people, situations, and grievances is key to meeting the client's objective of providing timely and effective language services to patients.
Lessons from the Field: Tackling Complex Projects and Building Strong Collaborations in Healthcare Interpreting
Can you describe a challenging project and how you navigated the complexities?
One of the most challenging projects I worked on was a large contract for a chain of hospitals across the U.S. We were short-staffed due to attrition, making it difficult to meet our deadlines. I collaborated with our implementation and client services teams to prioritize deployment at hospitals that already had equipment in place. This saved time, allowing us to get services running quicker, and we used the extra time and revenue to finish the remaining regions. I also created dashboards for each region to help track progress and address action items.
5. How did you ensure effective communication and collaboration between healthcare clients and your interpreting team?
Frequent touchpoints and structured communication were essential. We used tools like Smartsheet and MS Project to maintain alignment between the internal teams and the client. Regular meetings, feedback mechanisms, and clear workflows were effective in maintaining good collaboration and ensuring smooth execution.
Expert Advice and Lessons Learned: Project Management in the Healthcare Interpreting Space
What advice would you give someone new to project management in the language services industry, especially in the healthcare sector?
Stay focused on the primary objective of providing patients with better access to healthcare through language services. That purpose is a strong motivator. In addition, remain adaptable, continue learning, and be aware of policies and laws surrounding language services, as they’re constantly evolving.
Since leaving the industry, how do you perceive the role of project management in healthcare interpreting now?
The project management skills and methodologies I gained are transferable to many other industries. However, managing language services in healthcare taught me the importance of inclusivity and addressing the needs of a diverse society. The customer-centric approach in healthcare interpreting always creates a win-win situation for everyone involved.
Final Thoughts
As you can see from this interview, Pooja’s role didn’t stop at service delivery—she remained actively involved in ensuring continuous client satisfaction and smooth operations.
Her ability to align client needs with internal teams and resolve challenges made her an invaluable partner to healthcare providers, ensuring that language services were always available without interruptions. The Client Project Manager in language services is a multi-faceted, dynamic role that goes beyond project coordination. From contract signing to long-term client engagement, they build trust, drive value, and ensure seamless service delivery. Whether in healthcare, audiovisual translation, or other sectors, this role is critical in enhancing client experiences and maintaining solid partnerships.
Stay tuned for more insights in the next issue, where we’ll explore additional career opportunities and success stories in client project management.
Language Talent Pool
In addition to this interview, I’m excited to share that the job board The Language Talent Pool is now in full swing! This platform is designed specifically for linguists, recruiters, and agencies in the language services industry. Whether you're seeking a job or looking to hire specialized language professionals, Language Talent Pool has you covered.
Tailored Job Opportunities: Access roles that match your expertise, from interpreting and translation to project management.
Professional Networking: Connect with recruiters and agencies specializing in language services.
Career Development: Access tools and resources to further your professional growth.
If you are a translator, interpreter, or language service professional and have not signed up please do! Follow the link to register: Language Service professionals
Why Agencies and Recruiters Should Use Language Talent Pool:
Specialized Talent Pool: Quickly find qualified language professionals with industry-specific experience.
Efficient Hiring: Streamline your hiring process by posting jobs directly to a curated talent pool.
Industry Expertise: The platform is built by language services professionals who understand your unique needs.
LSP agencies and recruiters take advantage of this month's 15 % discount on all postings and sourcing services.
If you’re considering a career in translation project management, I highly recommend this course I took last year. It gave me valuable insights into managing translator relationships, especially how to handle underperformance professionally and constructively. The negotiation strategies shared in the course were also incredibly practical and applicable to real-world scenarios. Whether you're new to the role or looking to refine your skills, this course offers essential tools for effective communication and project success.
As the demand for audiovisual translation grows, managing subtitling and dubbing projects has become a highly specialized skill. This AVT masterclass offers hands-on training to handle AVT projects effectively, making it ideal for those looking to break into the media and entertainment sectors.
Why take it? AVT Masterclass is rapidly expanding, and this course provides practical insights into managing large-scale projects in this growing field.
If you’re looking for a broader, industry-recognized certification, the Google Project Management Certificate on Coursera offers an in-depth look at project management principles. This highly regarded course covers everything from project planning to risk management.
Why take it? This course offers excellent value but requires a more significant time commitment. It is ideal for those ready to invest in a broader project management education that applies across industries.
The role of a Client Project Manager is essential to ensuring smooth operations, long-term client satisfaction, and effective collaboration in the language services industry. Whether managing healthcare interpreting services or subtitling projects, their ability to align client needs with service delivery creates value and strengthens partnerships.
I hope Pooja’s insights and the resources shared in this edition inspire you to explore the exciting opportunities in project management. Whether you’re considering a career shift or looking to enhance your skills, the Language Talent Pool and the courses featured here can guide you on your journey.
Thank you for reading and being part of the Language Career Hub community!
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